Were you injured in a car accident in Philadelphia? Did you slip and fall on another person's property? Or perhaps you suffered a workplace injury or were the victim of medical malpractice. Personal injury law is a broad category that covers many different kinds of accidents and injuries.
What is personal injury law, exactly, and how can a personal injury attorney in Philadelphia help? Personal injury law deals with a pretty simple premise: a defendant acts negligently and a plaintiff suffers an injury as a result. These cases can arise almost anywhere, and sometimes accident victims aren't sure whether their injury makes them eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit. It's important to have an experienced lawyer in Philadelphia on your side who knows how to handle a personal injury case in your state.
If you or a loved one has been injured, contact a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer with decades of experience at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP for a free consultation to learn about your rights.
Discussing Your Rights with a Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer
The personal injury lawyers at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP represent clients from all over Pennsylvania, particularly in the Philadelphia area, and they will help you understand your legal rights. Let our attorneys and legal professionals use their experience to help you obtain the money you deserve.
***Your initial consultation is always free.
***Find out for Free if you have a valid Personal Injury Case.
***We never take a fee or costs unless we're successful in recovering money from you.
Types of Personal Injury Cases
Accidents happen every day. Sometimes it's hard to know whether an injury is serious enough to file a personal injury lawsuit, or whether the injury suffered was the result of someone else's mistake. So what types of personal injury cases are typical and warrant enlisting the help of a personal injury lawyer in Philadelphia? Some examples include:
- Medical Malpractice - Medical malpractice, including medical errors and misdiagnosis, can cause severe injuries or even wrongful death. Recent studies show that medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States and that medical malpractice and error is responsible for about 250,000 deaths per year in the United States alone.
- Product Liability - When unsafe or defective products cause accidents or injuries, the responsible party can be held accountable through a product liability lawsuit. Product liability law covers a broad range of products, including defective auto parts that can lead to car accidents or even defective medical devices.
- Dangerous Drugs - Many pharmaceutical drugs are released without a full appreciation of their risks, which can lead to serious injuries for many unsuspecting people.
- Slip and Fall Accidents - Slip and fall accidents occur when people slip and fall on slippery surfaces, and is part of a larger category of personal injury law called premises liability.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries - A traumatic brain injury can cause significant long-term health problems for many people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Our PA attorneys have many years of experience with these injuries and are ready to help.
- Construction Accidents - According to government accident statistics, there were 63 work-related deaths in the Philadelphia area in 2018 alone. Construction accidents are responsible for the majority of these deaths and thousands of injuries each year.
- Birth Injuries - When an accident occurs during birth, it can lead to severe injury or even permanent disability.
- Motor Vehicle Accidents -When people are injured in an auto accident, bus accident, motorcycle accident, truck accident, or train accident they may be able to bring a personal injury lawsuit. Car accidents are the most common cause of personal injury lawsuits.
- Nursing Home Abuse - Unfortunately, as the nursing home population has grown, the number of nursing home abuse cases has also increased. Despite the greater enforcement of state laws and the oversight efforts of governmental agencies, more than one million elderly residents experience nursing home negligence or abuse every year.
Most personal injury cases, regardless of the type of claim, are grounded upon the legal principle of negligence. There is a fundamental assumption in the law that every person owes every other person the duty to act in a way that a reasonable person would in the same situation. Failing to uphold this “reasonableness standard”, either because of an action a person took, or an action that they failed to take, forms the basis of most legal actions due to negligence. This is the underlying similarity in personal injury cases: a person suffered harm that they would not have otherwise suffered because of someone else's carelessness or negligent actions of another person or entity.
How Much Money is My Philadelphia PA Personal Injury Case Worth?
Because personal injury claims arise from a wide array of circumstances, it's difficult to put a precise figure on your claim. In other words, without knowing the type of incident that occurred, details of the personal injury victim's injuries, and the conditions that led to the accident, it's nearly impossible to estimate the number of damages that a plaintiff will be able to recover from the at-fault party. However, the law does allow recovery for a wide range of situations, many of which may not be readily apparent to the injured party. The law allows an accident victim to recover economic damages (meaning those that have a precise dollar amount, such as a hospital bill or lost wages), and non-economic damages (meaning those that don't have an objective monetary value, such as pain and suffering or the loss of enjoyment of life).
By contacting an experienced attorney, you may learn that you are eligible for multiple forms of economic and non-economic compensation. Accident victims may receive compensation for:
- Hospital bills, medical bills, and related medical expenses
- Out of Pocket Costs
- Lost Wages
- Diminished Earning Capacity and Future Income Lost
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium, or loss of companionship
An experienced personal injury attorney in Philadelphia will always consider a range of issues when making determinations about what damages to seek for you. A Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer can also advise you about the kinds of damages you're likely to be eligible for when you file a personal injury claim. Call today for a free consultation.
How to Prepare for Your Personal Injury Attorney Consultation
A free consultation with a personal injury attorney is a valuable resource. While most people have to pay for guidance from legal counsel, injury victims typically have the opportunity to discuss their cases at no cost. Therefore, it is essential that you make the most of it through solid preparation.
The following tips can help you prepare:
- Bring the police report. While not all parts of a police report are always admissible in a personal injury trial, it is a great starting point. It provides essential details about an accident, including who was involved and how it happened. If you do not have the police report, that is ok. You will still be able to proceed with your free consultation.
- Write down questions. You may have many questions about your personal injury case. Your free consultation is your opportunity to have them answered. Writing everything down beforehand is the best way to ensure you don’t forget anything.
- Bring correspondence. When it’s time for your initial consultation, the insurance companies may have already contacted you. This could be your carrier or the insurance company of the other driver. While you should never speak to an insurance company without speaking with an attorney first, you could benefit from sharing any correspondence during your consultation.
- Bring any evidence you’ve collected. For example, you may have been able to take photographs of the accident scene, such as damage to the vehicles, road conditions, the weather, and your injuries. Or you may have taken notes in the immediate aftermath of the collision—this type of anecdotal evidence can be valuable to your attorney.
- Witness testimony. You may also have had the opportunity to get the names and contact information of witnesses to your accident. Bringing this information to the meeting is crucial because if you go forward, your lawyer will probably want to speak to them.
In sum, take advantage of a free consultation. Don’t be concerned if, for example, you didn’t take pictures because you were too injured or you do not have the police report. Instead, you should come prepared with whatever information you do have and be ready to ask any questions or concerns you would like to address.
Frequent Questions That May Arise When Consulting with a Personal Injury Law Firm in Philadelphia:
What To Do After a Personal Injury?
In the moments after an accident, you may be disoriented and unsure of the appropriate steps to take. Before anything else, if there is any chance you may have suffered an injury, make sure to see a doctor and seek medical treatment. As soon as you're able, contact a personal injury lawyer in Philadelphia for a free consultation to discuss your case. Depending on the type and severity of your injury, insurance adjusters may be contacting you and urging you to accept a settlement for your claim. Having an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney on your side is essential to a successful personal injury lawsuit. Contact the dedicated PA personal injury lawyers at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP who will help you determine whether or not you have a valid claim.
Do I Have a Case?
After you suffer an injury because of another person's negligence, you're likely wondering if you should file a lawsuit? You're not alone, and each day injured people wonder if they have a valid personal injury claim. It's nearly impossible to provide a set of guidelines for whether you have a valid case, but in general, if you were injured because of the negligence of someone else, you may very well have a legal claim against the person who injured you. Because every situation depends on the specific facts surrounding the case, you should always consult a personal injury law firm in Philadelphia to review the facts of your situation and conduct a thorough investigation of your case. The Philadelphia personal injury attorneys at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP always offer a free consultation. In other words, there is nothing to lose by explaining how you were injured and learning how the law applies in your specific situation.
How Long Does a Philadelphia PA Personal Injury Claim Usually Take?
Depending on the type and severity of your injury, it's very difficult to estimate how long your case will take. Some cases are more complex than others and thus take more time, while other cases involve particularly unreasonable defendants and/or insurance companies who can prolong the process by weeks, months, and even years. In these cases in particular, it's essential to have a dedicated personal injury lawyer in Philadelphia on your side. When you have a Philadelphia personal injury attorney working on your behalf, the defendant and/or insurance company is often more likely to be reasonable and may agree more readily to an out-of-court settlement.
You need an attorney knowledgeable and experienced in Pennsylvania law to fight for your rights and to show the defendant that you're serious about your case. The PA personal injury attorneys at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP will take your injury case on a contingency fee basis, which means that you do not have to pay any money upfront and our lawyers are only compensated following successful recovery.
Do I Need a Lawyer for My Personal Injury Case?
It's always important to have an attorney in Philadelphia on your side that has extensive experience with personal injury claims and the legal process, even in the most straightforward cases. Are you concerned that the defendant is going to make the case especially difficult? Are you afraid that the insurance company will be unwilling to budge when it comes to compensation for your injuries? The Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP have been negotiating these matters on behalf of clients for decades, and they know what to do when cases become especially contentious and complicated.
Even more important, perhaps, is having a personal injury law firm in Philadelphia with attorneys who can deal directly with an insurance company on your behalf. Never accept an insurance company's settlement offer until you've spoken to an experienced Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer. Insurance companies are not on your side; their primary goal is to pay as little as possible and to maximize the profits of the insurance company. By retaining the services of a personal injury lawyer in Philadelphia, you can learn about your rights and how to protect them and take the steps necessary to receive a fair settlement and adequate compensation for your injuries. When the other party knows that you have retained the representation of trial lawyers willing to take the case to court to get the results you deserve to compensate you for your injuries, they are likely to offer you a more generous settlement offer from the very beginning. Call today for a free consultation with an attorney who knows how to get results.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim?
Under Pennsylvania law, the statute of limitations for most personal injury lawsuits is two years. That means you'll have two years from the date of your accident in which to file a claim. When it comes to medical malpractice cases, you'll typically have two years from the date of your injury (except for minors who have 2 years from their 18th birthday), or two years from the date at which you discover your injury, to file a claim.
Depending on the specifics of your case, the statute of limitations might be different for your particular injury. The dedicated Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP have been handling injury claims for years, and they'll make sure your case is filed on time. You do not want to lose out on your right to valuable compensation. Contact a personal injury attorney in Philadelphia today to make sure you file your claim on time.
Can I Recover Damages Even If I Was Partially At Fault?
Pennsylvania law allows injured persons to recover even if they were partially at fault for the injury, as long as another person's negligence caused the accident.
It's important to keep in mind, however, that when dealing with comparative fault, the injured party's compensation may be reduced proportionally based on his or her share of the fault. There's no hard and fast number for this. A jury looks at each case separately and determines comparative fault on a case-by-case basis. Contact the attorneys at The Rothenberg Law Firm for a free consultation to discuss the prospects for your case.
Get a Free Case Evaluation from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one suffered an injury, in a car accident, slip and fall, product liability, and the like, contact the experienced legal team of PA personal injury lawyers at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP. Accidents happen unexpectedly and they can have severe consequences for the injured party and his or her family members. Our personal injury attorneys in Philadelphia have years of experience and the in-depth knowledge necessary to help injured clients receive maximum compensation for their losses, and are ready to address your concerns and answer your questions. Unlike many other law firms, our attorneys have won many multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients in many different practice areas, from car accident cases to slip and fall lawsuits.
Remember:
Your initial consultation with an accident lawyer in Philadelphia is always free. Our firm works on a contingent fee basis for our personal injury clients, which means we never take a fee unless we're successful in recovering compensation for our clients.
Our personal injury attorneys approach the attorney-client relationship with care and sensitivity and will be there for you every step of the way. Contact the experienced personal injury lawyers at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP for a confidential consultation and free case evaluation by filling out a contact form online at InjuryLawyer.com or by calling our phone number, 1-800-624-8888.
The Rothenberg Law Firm services clients throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
